I just purchased a hatchling saharan on saturday. I haven't offered any water since all the caresheets I've read over the past couple months forbid it. Until today he has just been picking at his greens, not eating very well. Yesterday I noticed he was basking with his head resting on the ground rather than up and alert. This behavior, combined with the lack of appetite led me to believe he was dehydrated. I have a lifetime of experience with herps, but this is my first uro. I decided to do a little more research on offering water and noticed that deer fern farms offers water in a 1/4 inch deep lid to hatchlings, and they often observe saharans and bentis drinking. I decided to give it a try. As I was lowering the lid into the cage, it tipped slightly and some water dripped onto a slate tile. My uro perked up, ran to the water, and drank deeply. He then proceeded to walk over to his greens and chow down. Now he is basking with his head up and alert, and his orange color even seems more vibrant. I remember hiking in the desert when I lived out west early in the morning. The vegetation is often soaking wet even when the air temps have already reached 80-90. I can't help but think that uros forage on this wet vegetation and drink the dew. I still will not keep a water dish in the cage, but as deer fern farms points out, 1/8"-1/4" of water will evaporate very quickly without raising the humidity of an open topped cage. Offering it first thing in the morning from time to time might be a good thing. Note-my substrate is slate tile, so I don't have to worry about the uro spilling water and saturating the substrate.
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-Jake
0.0.1 Uromastyx geyri
0.1 L.t. annulata
1.1 L.g. californiae
2.1 Pseudemys nelsoni
1.0 Geochelone sulcata
0.1 mexican double yellowheaded amazon parrot

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